Do you recall those childhood days when you eagerly anticipated bedtime stories about Peter Rabbit, Toad or Ratty from The Wind in the Willows? Or the excitement that washed over you every time you opened a children's book teeming with playful, animated animals? 



Well, a new study is giving us a fresh perspective on the role of these furry, iconic characters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-children-s-books-animal-characters">Children's books animal characters</h2>



The research has shed light on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/toddlers-learn-faster-after-witnessing-impossible-events/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">potential influence</a> of non-human characters in children's books.



The researchers aimed to gauge how these animal characters affected children's theory of mind skills - crucial abilities which include deciphering social changes in the environment based on voice tone, word choice, or facial expressions.



They worked with over 100 children aged five to 10, each of whom were tested on their theory of mind skills after hearing stories featuring animal characters, as well as those highlighting human characters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-vs-animal-characters-in-books">Human vs. animal characters in books</h2>



The study unveiled an interesting pattern. When exposed to stories centered around human characters, an age-related progression was observed. 



Older children were consistently outperforming their younger counterparts, with 3rd grade children surpassing the researchers' expectations in tests featuring human characters.



But the revelations didn't stop there. The tests that involved animal characters threw up another surprise. 



The younger participants were able to match the scores achieved by pupils in 3rd grade, who were two years their senior. That's quite a feat for our young champions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-insight-into-children-s-development">New insight into children's development</h2>



These findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, highlight the importance of both human and non-human characters in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/outdoor-classes-improve-childrens-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">children's developmental stages</a>.



The research was led by Dr. Gray Atherton and Dr. Liam Cross from the University of Plymouth’s <a href="https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/schools/psychology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">School of Psychology</a>.



"Animals play a huge part of children’s stories, whether that is in books and comics or through TV and film. We wanted to test if that is down to more than simply liking the characters, and whether there are actual benefits of children learning through by watching or reading about animals and if this changes over time," said Dr. Atherton.



"Our findings showed that both human and non-human characters are important in helping children interpret the world around them, and that they play differing roles at different stages in their development. Adapting activities and lessons in nurseries and the early school years to take that into account could be hugely effective in helping to support their development."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-educators-and-parents">Implications for educators and parents</h2>



The insights gained from this study have substantial implications for educators and parents aiming to support children's cognitive and social development.



By incorporating both human and animal characters into books, educators can craft a more balanced learning environment that caters to the diverse needs of children across age groups. 



Parents, too, can enrich their children's home learning experiences by selecting a variety of stories that include both human and animal protagonists. 



This approach not only makes reading sessions more engaging but also aids in developing empathy and understanding of complex social scenarios.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-directions">Future research directions</h2>



While this study provides valuable insights, it also opens avenues for further exploration. 



Future research could go deeper into the types of animal characteristics that are most effective in nurturing children's theory of mind. For instance, exploring whether anthropomorphized animals or more realistic portrayals have differing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parents-who-use-humor-have-better-relationships-with-their-children/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">impacts</a>. 



Similarly, cross-cultural studies could investigate whether the affinity towards animal characters holds true in diverse cultural contexts. These inquiries could refine understanding and application in educational strategies, enhancing the efficacy of storytelling as a developmental tool.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-animal-characters-and-autism-treatment">Animal characters and autism treatment</h2>



In previous studies, Dr. Atherton and Dr. Cross examined the factors influencing the educational and social development of individuals with autism and learning difficulties.



The experts launched initiatives proving how board and online games can bolster confidence among people with autism. 



Borrowing insights from this research, the scholars now plan to dig deeper to explore if their findings could provide specific benefits to children with such conditions.



Dr. Cross envisions a significant impact of this study on individuals with autism or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kids-with-behavioral-issues-have-high-cortisol-levels-in-their-hair/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">other conditions</a> affecting their learning. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-way-of-looking-at-animal-characters">A new way of looking at animal characters</h2>



The researchers have observed how tasks involving animal characters can result in autistic individuals performing on par with non-autistic children. 



The plan is to replicate this study with autistic children in an effort to unveil more effective ways to support them at a critical stage in their development.



In a nutshell, this study has unraveled an entirely new dimension of how we view animals in children's books. 



Those delightful animal characters do more than simply entertain; they help shape our children's minds and understanding of the world around them in their formative years.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002209652400256X?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Experimental Child Psychology</a>. 



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Animal characters boost social and emotional skills in children

Do you recall those childhood days when you eagerly anticipated bedtime stories about Peter Rabbit, Toad or Ratty from The Wind in the Willows? Or the excitement that washed over you every time you opened a children's book teeming with playful, animated animals? Well, a new study is giving us a fresh perspective on the role of these furry, iconic characters. Children's books animal characters The research has shed light on the potential influence of non-human characters in children's books. The researchers aimed to gauge how these...

Researchers have identified beetles that may help millions of seasonal <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/experts-are-now-screening-for-allergies-using-nasal-smears/">allergy</a> sufferers in Europe by reducing ragweed pollen. The common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, is an invasive and highly allergenic weed that affects 13.5 million people in Europe alone.

By calculating the number of people impacted by seasonal allergies in Europe, the researchers estimated that economic losses associated with allergies exceed seven billion Euros each year.

The new study suggests that the leaf beetle, Ophraella communa, could substantially lower the prevalence of ragweed because this is the insect's primary food source.

After modeling the number of leaf beetles across their suitable habitat range in Europe, the researchers found that biological control of common ragweed could reduce the number of people suffering from the ragweed allergy by 2.3 million, while also lowering annual economic costs by more than a billion Euros. 

Study co-first author Sandro Steinbach is an expert in the Agricultural and Resource Economics Department at the <a href="http://Uconn.edu">University of Connecticut</a>. 

"Our conservative estimates indicate that biological control of A. artemisiifolia by O. communa will reduce the number of patients by approximately 2.3 million and the health costs by Euro 1.1 billion per year," said Steinback. "Future costs of this management approach will be basically zero since the beetle has established permanently and is propagating by itself."

Study co-first author Urs Schaffner said that it was unclear at first whether the leaf beetle was useful or harmful. 

"Laboratory tests had shown that O. communa might be detrimental to sunflowers. However, field tests in China and Europe could not confirm this finding," said Schaffner.

"Because O. communa was accidentally introduced into Europe and did not go through a thorough risk assessment typical for deliberate releases of biological control agents, we started investigating whether this beetle can damage native European plant species."

"The good news is that there is only one European plant species, which is closely related to A. artemisiifolia. The risk assessment is still in progress, but so far, we have not found evidence for significant damage by this leaf beetle on native European plants."

Going forward, the team will investigate how climate change will affect the distribution of common ragweed and the leaf beetle, and whether the beetle's impact on ragweed pollen production is set to increase or decrease in the future. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Beetles could relieve millions of people from ragweed allergies

Researchers have identified beetles that may help millions of seasonal...

Tai-Chi-based mindfulness training eases the major symptoms of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ritalin-dhd-medications-brain-development/">ADHD</a> in children, according to a new study funded by the <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml">National Institute of Mental Health</a> (NIMH). 

The findings suggest that motor control could be targeted through mindfulness-based programs to improve behavior among children with ADHD.

Up to ten percent of school-age children are affected by attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder that causes impulsive and hyperactive behavior. 

A team of experts found that mindfulness training significantly helped children regulate their inattentive and hyperactive behavior. 

Children between the ages of 8 and 12 years old participated in two 60-minute Tai-Chi-based mindfulness training classes each week for eight weeks. 

Parents rated ADHD symptoms before and after treatment using a highly validated scale, while motor control was assessed using an objective examination.

Following the mindfulness training, children demonstrated significant reductions in core ADHD symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. In addition, the children showed improvements in oppositional-defiant behavior and motor skills. 

The study revealed a strong link between motor skills and behavior, as children who made the most progress in motor control also exhibited the most improved behavior. 

The study is one of the first to explore the potential benefits of mindfulness training for kids with ADHD. The research provides critical evidence that mindful movement practices can ease ADHD symptoms and improve behavior among hyperactive children. 

Dr. Stewart H. Mostofsky is the director of the Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research at Kennedy Krieger Institute.

"The findings from this study provide support for a promising new avenue of behavioral intervention for children with ADHD and related difficulties, with mindful movement practice associated with improved ability to control attention and behavior," said Dr. Mostofsky. 

"Crucially, the findings also suggest that mindful movement intervention contributes to parallel improvements in motor control, such that motor examination might serve as a valuable biomarker, helping to monitor response to this promising intervention."

The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.lww.com/jrnldbp/pages/default.aspx">Journal of Developmental &amp; Behavioral Pediatrics</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Mindfulness training eases ADHD in children

Tai-Chi-based mindfulness training eases the major symptoms of ADHD in...

In a new study published by the <a href="https://www.aip.org/">American Institute of Physics</a>, experts have created organic devices that store <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/depression-memory-loss/">memory</a> in a similar way to how neurons hold memories in the brain. 

According to the researchers, the technology offers an energy-efficient platform for personal computing and artificial intelligence applications. 

The digital revolution that began in the 1950s will soon be replaced by another giant leap in technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. 

Many researchers are exploring ways to prepare for the upcoming fourth industrial revolution, which will integrate personal computing technologies that are so advanced they will obscure the line between virtual and physical realty.

"It is important for us to understand that the computing platforms of today will not be able to sustain at-scale implementations of AI algorithms on massive datasets," said study co-author Thirumalai Venkatesan.

"Today's computing is way too energy-intensive to handle big data. We need to rethink our approaches to computation on all levels: materials, devices and architecture that can enable ultralow energy computing."

Venkatesan explained that brain-inspired electronics with organic memristors could offer a functionally promising and cost-effective platform. 

Memristive devices possess an inherent memory and are capable of both storing data and retaining memory even without power. Memristors function in much the same way as neurons, the computing units in the brain, and the devices are the perfect candidates for personalized computing platforms.

"Over the last 20 years, there have been several attempts to come up with organic memristors, but none of those have shown any promise," said study lead author Sreetosh Goswami. "The primary reason behind this failure is their lack of stability, reproducibility and ambiguity in mechanistic understanding. At a device level, we are now able to solve most of these problems."

The new organic memristors are based on metal azo complex devices, which were developed by study co-author Professor Sreebata Goswami.

"In thin films, the molecules are so robust and stable that these devices can eventually be the right choice for many wearable and implantable technologies or a body net, because these could be bendable and stretchable," said Professor Goswami. 

According to Venkatesan, the next challenge will be to produce these organic memristors at scale."Now we are making individual devices in the laboratory. We need to make circuits for large-scale functional implementation of these devices."

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://aip.scitation.org/journal/are">Applied Physics Reviews</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Organic devices may lead to wearable, personalized computing

In a new study published by the American Institute of...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/first-gene-edited-lizards/">Lizards</a> will not miss out on an opportunity to speak the language of love, according to a new study from <a href="https://wustl.edu/">Washington University</a>. The researchers discovered that lizards can create new ways to communicate with each other through chemical signals.

As an experiment, lizards were relocated in small groups to experimental islands. The males quickly developed ways to attract mates using new chemical signals.

The evolution of animal communication is normally focused on visual or acoustic signals, while chemical signals are less obvious. Most existing studies analyzed insect pheromones and agricultural applications. 

However, chemical signals are the most widespread form of communication that is used by species ranging from bacteria to mammals. 

The researchers explained that these chemical signals represent a valuable opportunity for decoding how animals communicate and perceive the world around them.

"What we've discovered is that within species there is important variation in chemical signals depending on your context: Who's trying to eat you, who wants to mate with you and who you're trying to compete with," said study lead author Colin Donihue.

Lizards express messages through secretions from specialized glands on their inner thighs. The substances contain detailed information about the individual lizard that produced them.

"Animals have spent over a billion years developing a complex chemical communication library," said Donihue. "But we only invented the technology to identify many of those chemicals a century ago, and the experiments for understanding what those chemicals mean for the animals in nature have only just begun."

For the investigation, groups of eight male and 12 female Aegean wall lizards were relocated from a population in Greece to five small islets that lacked predators. 

Over the next few years, the lizard populations expanded rapidly along with competition for resources. 

The relocated lizards were tagged so that they could be tracked individually. The study rcevealed that lizards on each of the predator-free islands had rapidly and consistently developed a new "chemical mix" that was different from the language used within their original population.

The study has produced the first-ever solid evidence to show that lizards can "put on a new cologne" to suit their setting.

"Signals to attract mates are often conspicuous to predators," said study co-author Simon Baeckens. "As such, sexual signals present a compromise between attractiveness and avoidance of detection. However, on these islets, there is no constraint on the evolution of highly conspicuous and attractive signals."

"In the experimental islands, we found that the 'signal richness' of the lizard secretions is the highest - meaning that the number of different compounds that we could detect in the secretion is the highest. Our previous research suggests that this more elaborate signal might advertise the high quality of a male," said Donihue.

"We found that animal chemical cues can rapidly and flexibly change to suit new settings, but this is only the beginning for understanding what the lizards are saying to each other."

The study is published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652656">Journal of Animal Ecology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Lizards can create their very own "love language"

Lizards will not miss out on an opportunity to speak...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/airborne-bacterial-communities-differ-from-one-urban-park-to-the-next/">Airborne</a> transmission may be a key contributor to outbreaks of scarlet fever, according to a study led by Professor Shiranee Sriskandan at <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a>.

The researchers found strong evidence that the airborne spread of scarlet fever can be silently triggered by an individual with no symptoms of infection. 

Scarlet fever is a highly contagious disease caused by the same bacteria as strep throat, Group A Streptococcus (GAS), and mainly affects young children. The first signs of the illness are usually flu-like symptoms, including a fever and sore throat. 

While the transmission of scarlet fever is not entirely understood, it is widely accepted that the disease can be spread through airborne droplets. 

Over the last few years, England has been experiencing a sudden increase in scarlet fever infection, with outbreaks that run parallel with the school season.

The incidence of scarlet fever followed a typical seasonal pattern the first ten weeks of 2020, but rates of infection have recently declined. 

The authors that regularly update statistics for Public Health England (PHE) said the scarlet fever decline could be due to social distancing measures or to fewer visits to health care providers. 

"This is of concern given the importance of prompt treatment with antibiotics to limit further spread as well reducing risk of potential complications," wrote the PHE authors. 

In the current study, the researchers set out to investigate the presence of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) in classrooms, the prevalence of GAS transmission, and the impact of antibiotic treatment on the detection of GAS. Transmission factors were assessed using cough plates, hand swabs, environmental swabs, and air settle plates. The experts used genome sequencing to confirm chains of transmission. 

The study was focused on six classes, involving 11 scarlet fever cases, 17 household contacts, and 142 classroom contacts. 

Overall, ten of the 11 cases tested negative after starting antibiotics. However, 40 percent of these individuals became GAS-positive by week two or three.

Furthermore, 28 classroom contacts who were reported to have no symptoms tested positive for GAS through throat swabs. Air settle plates that were placed in elevated locations turned out to be GAS-positive in two-thirds of the classrooms. 

"GAS transmission within classrooms was extensive despite short-term effectiveness of antibiotic treatment," wrote the researchers. "Transmission may occur prior to receipt of antibiotics, underlining the importance of rapid diagnosis and treatment."

"Despite exclusion of cases and guideline adherence, heavy shedding of GAS by classroom contacts, who may represent subclinical infection or carriage, are likely to perpetuate outbreaks. Airborne transmission appears to be a key factor in scarlet fever, in contrast to environmental contamination."

The research will be presented at the <a href="https://www.escmid.org/">European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases</a> (ECCMID).

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Scarlet fever may be widely spread through airborne transmission

Airborne transmission may be a key contributor to outbreaks of...

Researchers have discovered that the origin of human <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/brains-shift-understand-language/">language</a> dates back 20 million years farther than what was previously realized. 

According to a study led by <a href="https://www.ncl.ac.uk/">Newcastle University</a>, the human language pathway appeared in the brain at least 25 million years ago. 

"It is like finding a new fossil of a long lost ancestor," said study lead author Professor Chris Petkov. "It is also exciting that there may be an older origin yet to be discovered still."

Scientists had previously found evidence to suggest that the precursor of the language pathway emerged about five million years ago in the brain of a common ancestor of humans and apes. 

To gain insight into the evolution of the human brain, neuroscientists use brain imaging techniques to compare the brains of primates and humans. 

For the Newcastle study, an international team of experts analyzed the auditory regions and pathways in brain scans from humans, apes, and monkeys.

The team discovered a segment of the language pathway in the human brain that connects the auditory cortex with frontal lobe regions, where important speech and language processes take place. The auditory pathway was present in the nonhuman primates as well, indicating this brain network was the evolutionary basis of auditory cognition and vocal communication.

"We predicted but could not know for sure whether the human language pathway may have had an evolutionary basis in the auditory system of nonhuman primates," said Professor Petkov. "I admit we were astounded to see a similar pathway hiding in plain sight within the auditory system of nonhuman primates."

The research is shedding new light on the remarkable transformation of the human language pathway. A key difference was found among humans in which the left side of the brain pathway was stronger. The right side appears to have diverged to involve non-auditory parts of the brain.

The study authors predict that the origin of the human language pathway is even older, and future research may find new evidence in animals that are more distantly related to humans. 

"This discovery has tremendous potential for understanding which aspects of human auditory cognition and language can be studied with animal models in ways not possible with humans and apes," said study senior author Professor Timothy Griffiths. "The study has already inspired new research underway including with neurology patients."

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/neuro/">Nature Neuroscience</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Human language pathway appeared in the brain 25 million years ago

Researchers have discovered that the origin of human language dates...

Farmers in the western U.S. who depend on <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dust-rockies-snowmelt/">snowmelt</a> for crop irrigation may be facing major threats from climate change. According to a new study from <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a>, snowmelt changes will reduce the water supply when it is needed for seasonal irrigation.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers set out to examine how rising temperatures will impact snowmelt in drainage basins that support irrigation worldwide. 

The experts analyzed monthly water demand combined with snowmelt runoff across basins from 1985 to 2015. Next, the team projected changes in snowmelt after 2 or 4 degrees of climate warming.

The researchers pinpointed the snow-dependent basins that are most at risk of not having water available at the right times for irrigation due to changing snowmelt patterns. The San Joaquin and Colorado river basins ranked as two of the highest-risk basins, which are both located in the western United States. 

"In many areas of the world, agriculture depends on snowmelt runoff happening at certain times and at certain magnitudes," said study lead author Professor Yue Qin. "But climate change is going to cause less snow and early melting in some basins, which could have profound effects on food production."

Projected changes in snowmelt will also adversely affect agriculture across basins in southern Europe, western China, and Central Asia. 

The researchers found that in some basins, rainfall runoff may be able to compensate for declines in snowmelt runoff, depending on the timing and magnitude.

However, in many basins such as the San Joaquin, rainfall will not compensate enough for lost snowmelt to meet irrigation water demands.

The findings indicate that changes in snowmelt will mainly affect crops in the northern hemisphere, including rice and cotton in the summer and  wheat in the spring.

According to Professor Qin, the research could be used to prioritize and inform methods to minimize the impact of changing snowmelt on water supplies for agriculture. In some cases, extra groundwater pumping and reservoir development should be considered.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Snowmelt changes may greatly affect farmers in western U.S.

Farmers in the western U.S. who depend on snowmelt for...

A new study published by the <a href="https://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a> has found that maternal <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-apartment-hypertension/">hypertensive</a> disorders are linked to mental health issues in young children.

Maternal hypertensive disorders are caused by high blood pressure during pregnancy. These conditions include preeclampsia, eclampsia, gestational hypertension, and chronic hypertension.

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders are a leading cause of maternal mortality, and increase the risk of stillbirth and preterm birth. 

A study focused on more than 4,700 mother-child pairs revealed that preeclampsia, in particular, was associated with an increased risk of behavioral and emotional disorders among children. 

The researchers established a 66-percent higher risk of mental health issues among children whose mothers had preeclampsia.

The experts determined that the severity of maternal preeclampsia also played a role in the development of mental disorders during childhood. 

"While previous studies have shown significant effects of preeclampsia on ADHD, autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia in the offspring, a novel aspect of our findings was that the predisposing effects of maternal preeclampsia extended to any childhood mental disorder in the offspring," said study senior author Dr. Marius Lahti-Pulkkinen.

The researchers found that when a maternal hypertensive disorder was combined with obesity and diabetes, the risk of the child developing a mental health disorder jumped from 6.6 to 22.2 percent.

"The findings emphasize the need for preventive interventions and treatments for maternal hypertensive disorders, since such interventions have the potential to benefit both the well-being of the expectant mother and her offspring," said Dr. Lahti-Pulkkinen. 

"The findings also shed important new light on the etiology of childhood mental disorders. This information may help in targeting preventive interventions and support for families at risk, and aid clinicians in understanding issues and the underlying causes of childhood mental disorders."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/journal/hyp">Hypertension</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Maternal hypertension linked to mental health issues in children

A new study published by the American Heart Association has...

In a study published by the <a href="https://www.cma.ca/">Canadian Medical Association</a>, experts are describing a new, easily accessible tool that can predict the health care needs of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-dementia-2/">dementia</a> patients. 

Dementia is a progressive, life-limiting illness that impairs cognitive function. Personalized information about survival and long-term care is critically important to help dementia patients and care providers with prognosis and planning. 

The new tool will help facilitate important conversations about what comes next after dementia diagnosis. 

Dr. Peter Tanuseputro is a family physician and researcher with the Bruyère Research Institute and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

"For patients, families and caregivers, these conversations can be difficult and too often they don't happen at all," said Dr. Tanuseputro. "If we can help patients and families understand what is likely to happen to their health, and what the next few years may hold, it can help with planning, perhaps provide some peace of mind, and ensure they maximize the quality of life remaining."

The investigation was focused on data from more than 108,000 people living in Ontario who were diagnosed with dementia between 2010 and 2012.

The researchers found that 55 percent of the individuals had died within five years, and almost half of those who died lived in an institution. 

The study also revealed that only around 25 percent of the study subjects were still living in the community five years after diagnosis.

The greatest indicators of death and admission to long-term care facilities were older age, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure, and kidney failure at the time of diagnosis. 

"The majority of residents in long-term care homes have been diagnosed with dementia. Our study shows that the survival of many people with dementia is poor. It may be that many would choose care that focuses on comfort care and quality of life should they become acutely ill," said Dr. Tanuseputro.

"We have developed a tool that asks simple questions about a person at the time of dementia diagnosis and translates it to the chance of dying and of entering a nursing home over the next 5 years. This information can be used in conversations about what to expect."

Data from the study was used to develop an online <a href="https://www.individualizedhealth.ca/dementia-tool">dementia calculator</a>.

"For newly diagnosed dementia patients and their families, personalized information about their trajectory may be helpful to plan for the future, including advance care planning and planning for additional supports."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.cmaj.ca/">Canadian Medical Association Journal</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

New tool predicts care needs of dementia patients

In a study published by the Canadian Medical Association, experts...

A new imaging system has been designed to remotely track <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-mosquito-borne-viruses/">mosquitos</a>, according to a study published by <a href="https://www.osa.org/en-us/home/">The Optical Society</a> (OSA). By improving the way mosquitos are monitored, the technology could help control mosquito-transmitted diseases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that malaria, dengue, yellow fever, and other mosquito-borne illnesses are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths every year.

The new imaging system will make it easier to track mosquitos that carry disease, facilitating a faster and more targeted response.

"A remote system like ours can dramatically reduce the labor needed to monitor mosquitos in a given area, thus greatly increasing the capability to do more monitoring," said study lead author Adam Goodwin of Johns Hopkins University. "If you can provide more mosquito data, then you will more quickly catch outbreaks and save more lives."

The technology is designed to transmit high-resolution images from inside a mosquito trap. The detailed images will allow experts to observe specific wing patterns and other features used to identify mosquito species that carry disease. 

"The new system is a classic application of an internet of things (IoT) device," said Goodwin. "It could eventually be paired with computer vision algorithms to automatically determine species and provide that information to public health systems."

Across regions of the world that are hit hard by mosquito-transmitted disease, mosquitos are captured in hundreds of traps. Each week, someone picks up all the traps and delivers them to a lab for inspection. 

"Our new optical system can be placed inside a traditional mosquito trap to provide remote surveillance of the abundance, diversity and distribution of mosquito species," said Goodwin. "Using imaging is particularly appealing because as long as image quality is high, several mosquitos could be identified from an image at once."

The development of the system was focused on accurately identifying Aedes aegypti mosquitos, which can spread Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever. The species is native to Africa but has established itself in many parts of the world, including North America, Europe, and Asia. 

Using optics and camera sensors that are widely available, the researchers achieved a resolution that is capable of imaging many mosquitos at once with enough details to identify the mosquito species.

"Our new system would be particularly useful in monitoring Aedes aegypti in hard to reach areas and at commercial ports of entry where invasive species can be brought from other countries," said Goodwin. "It could also expand current surveillance operations for regions already monitoring local populations of Aedes aegypti."

The researchers will continue to refine the imaging system. They also plan to integrate computer vision algorithms and internet-connectivity into the system. 

"This would enable species information to be sent directly to the public health system for decision-making," said Goodwin. "This is where we think the system will really shine."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.osapublishing.org/boe/home.cfm">Biomedical Optics Express</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

New imaging system will help control mosquito-borne disease

A new imaging system has been designed to remotely track...

A team of experts at <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Penn State</a> has investigated the long-term impact of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/fungal-species-may-help-control-major-soybean-pest/">soybean</a> diseases in the United States. The study revealed that soybean diseases led to more than $95 billion in losses from 1996 to 2016. 

Paul Esker is an assistant professor of Epidemiology and Crop Pathology in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology. He said that the study findings are significant because the U.S. is the world's primary soybean producer and second-largest exporter.

According to the Department of Agriculture, soybean was cultivated on more than 70 million acres in 2019, with production exceeding 97 million metric tons. Professor Esker explained that quantitative information on soybean crop losses is scarce, hard to obtain, seldom standardized, and challenging to compare across various states and regions.

"Soybeans are among the most economically important crops in the U.S.," said Professor Esker. "The contribution of disease-associated quality loss toward the total economic loss often is ignored due to insufficient information or unavailability of suitable loss-estimation framework."

"Accurate crop loss assessment is the base to devise appropriate management strategies to ensure farmer profitability, safeguard the nation's export soybean crop, preserve global food security and establish research priorities."

To analyze the long-term impacts of diseases on soybean production, the team analyzed data on soybean losses from 23 common diseases across 28 states between 1996 and 2016. 

Over the two decades, the estimated economic loss resulting from soybean disease was $95.48 billion. The losses were the greatest in the northern region of the country, with a total estimated loss of $80.89 billion. In the South, Missouri, Mississippi, and Arkansas sustained the biggest losses.

The diseases that contributed the most to crop losses were the soybean cyst nematode, charcoal rot, and seedling disease.

"Despite perceived challenges, the analysis of historical soybean loss data due to diseases is important to understand the economic impact of diseases, to rank diseases based on their economic importance, and to identify spatiotemporal disease occurrence and progression patterns," said Professor Esker.

"Such information is critical for soybean pathologists and breeders, government and funding agencies, and educators to prioritize research, policy and educational efforts in soybean disease management."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Soybean diseases cause major economic losses in the U.S.

A team of experts at Penn State has investigated the...

Conservation efforts to save amphibians are largely insufficient. The hotter and drier conditions associated with climate change are presenting a number of complex challenges for <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/poison-frogs-flourish-competitors/">amphibians</a>, and many species are facing a higher risk of extinction than mammals, birds, or any other group of vertebrates. 

A recent review written by experts at <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a> describes why many conservation efforts for amphibians are falling short of their goals.

Frogs, toads, salamanders, and other amphibians require water and a moist environment for survival. Their natural ranges tend to be very small, which means they are easily wiped out by rising temperatures. 

In places hit the hardest by global warming, like Central and South America, a large number of range-restricted amphibian species may soon have no suitable habitat left. 

Rupert Mathwin is a freshwater ecologist and the lead author of the Flinders review. 

"Amphibian populations are in decline globally, with water resource use dramatically changing surface water hydrology and distribution," said Mathwin.

"Intelligent manipulation and management of where and how water appears in the landscape will be vital to arrest the decline in amphibia."

The study authors found that many existing conservation measures are insufficient, and they have some key recommendations for future land management. 

The researchers noted that one of the most successful conservation approaches is extending the time water is kept available in temporary pools. Amphibian populations can also be supported by excavating, lining, and pumping water into breeding ponds.

Amphibians are often limited by predators like fish and crayfish, so restoring natural drying patterns outside of the main breeding times can reduce predation, explained the study authors. 

The experts also pointed out that releasing water from dams along river channels can harm amphibians. The high-energy water flows can blast through soil and rock and displace larvae, creating an environment that is more favorable to the breeding of predators.  

It may seem counterintuitive, but the study authors said that water should be restricted in certain landscapes for amphibian conservation. This strategy has been successfully used to remove predators from breeding pools.

"Already about 41% of the species assessed are threatened with extinction, so with continued climate change we have to be smarter about managing water to maintain critical habitats and save our threatened amphibians from extinction," said Professor Corey Bradshaw.

"It will be critical to use prior knowledge and change the way we share our successes and failures to find ways to save amphibians."

&nbsp;

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.13501">Conservation Biology</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Conservation efforts to save amphibians are largely insufficient

Conservation efforts to save amphibians are largely insufficient. The hotter...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Kainji Lake, a reservoir on the Niger River.



In 1968, Kainji Lake was created by the construction of the Kainji Dam. The Niger River, the third longest in Africa, enters the lake in the north.&nbsp;



According to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-in-the-american-west-are-a-lifesaving-resource-for-birds/">ESA</a>, the creation of the lake submerged Foge Island and the town of Bussa and permanently flooded other riverine settlements, leaving around 50,000 people displaced.&nbsp;



Large parts of Foge Island are temporarily exposed during low water tides, and the land is often used by migrating fishermen. Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria. 



Wild mammals occur at relatively low densities due to illegal hunting. Lake Kainji has suffered a dramatic decline as a fishery due to the high numbers of artisanal and subsistence fisherfolk using the lake. It has been suggested that a period of closure, together with controlled fishing rights may help improve fish stocks.



Kainji Lake National Park is the oldest of its kind in Nigeria. The park contains three distinct areas: a part of the Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve to the west of the lake, and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the southeast. The park is home to around 65 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. 



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Designing crops that can beat the heat

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

How does salt makes things taste better?

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Santiago, Chile in South America

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Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. 



"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."



"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.



"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> features a visual dataset of.methane emissions from wetlands across the globe. Atmospheric methane levels have reached record highs in recent years, and wetlands are a major source of these emissions.&nbsp;



"Methane is an important greenhouse gas that contributes substantially to global warming. On a molecule by molecule basis, methane is much more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the main driver of warming," says NASA.



"Though human activities, including agriculture, oil and natural gas production and use, and waste disposal, collectively contribute the majority of methane to the atmosphere, about a third of total methane emissions comes from wetlands."&nbsp;



According to NASA, understanding methane emissions from wetlands and other natural sources is critically important for scientists and policymakers who are working to combat climate change by reducing emissions from human activities.



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes why experts are studying zebrafish to gain a better understanding of how the immune system responds to injury. Zebrafish have the ability to repair and regenerate organs.



“Organ regeneration offers an exciting opportunity for studying the immune system and to inquire why some species can regenerate organs like the heart or missing limbs while others like humans cannot,” explained Dr. Tatjana Piotrowski.



Zebrafish sensory organ hair cells are an ideal system to investigate the pathways and cell types involved in regeneration since they are easily destroyed with antibiotics and begin regenerating within five hours. This enabled the researchers to identify the exact timing and genetic programs for each anti-inflammatory macrophage activation state.&nbsp;



“Our hypothesis is that human macrophages do not receive the proper chemical activation 'cocktail' to instruct pro-regenerative processes,” said Dr. Nicolas Denans. “Identifying the molecular recipe of macrophage activation in zebrafish may one day enable us to design regenerative immunotherapies in humans.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The new evidence is a valuable resource for comparative studies on the genetic programs involved in macrophage-mediated repair and regeneration. In other words, different types of injuries may induce different kinds of inflammatory responses. We want to decipher whether this 'language' is universal or if there are a variety of dialects."



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

How the immune system responds to injury

[sendtonews key="0dEcERCq61-2283382-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Stowers...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...